Witch Wishing
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: Hermione Granger's upbringing is not much different from Harry's. However, she is not only smart but also powerful and takes matters into her own hands. Completely AU, partly OOC, takes place before Hogwarts, will perhaps also cover the Hogwarts years, not sure yet. HP/HG


**Witch Wishing**  
**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my __mistakes._

**_I am only writing for fun. If you don't like my stories, don't read them._**

* * *

Eight-year-old Hermione Granger was a very unhappy child. She was able to do strange things, even to wish and get whatever she wanted - except for one thing. She could not get her loving parents back, whom she had lost in a car crash at the age of six. Her parents had known that she did strange things from time to time, however, they had tolerated it and merely observed her in apparent concern, as they loved her bunches. However, with the death of her parents, the single child had come to live with her father's brother's family, consisting of her Aunt Desidera, her Uncle John and her cousin Melody, who was a year older than Hermione. All three family members despised her greatly because of her special abilities. They grudgingly tolerated her in their house, however, expected her to make herself as invisible and silent as possible.

One day during the summer holidays, her aunt took Melody shopping in London and, not trusting her freakish niece to remain alone in the house, she grudgingly instructed Hermione to accompany them.

_'I need some clothes too,'_ Hermione thought. So far, she had always wished for her blouses, skirts and jackets to become a bit bigger so that she'd still fit into them, although they were still from the time when her mummy had been alive. However, realising how childish her old clothes were, she slowly began to hope that her aunt would consider buying something new for her too.

However, her aunt completely ignored Hermione and merely bought several new outfits for her adored daughter and afterwards commended her greatly for trying on all the expensive clothes.

"Buy me an ice-cream," Melody demanded and grinned at Hermione, knowing that her cousin would not receive any.

HP

A few minutes later, Hermione trailed behind her aunt and cousin in disappointment, jealously observing Melody enjoy an enormous ice-cream cone.

_'I want one too,'_ she thought and made her arm tingly like she had already done so many times when she wished something really badly. A mere instant later, a similar ice-cream cone was hovering right in front of her hands. She took it quickly and happily began to devour the delicacy, right before her aunt and cousin realised what happened and began to squeak and scream at the girl.

Unbeknownst to the Grangers, an old man in strange clothes had observed the scene from the other side of the road. He came now over, hearing how Hermione was called a freak by the two Muggles.

Shaking his head in apparent annoyance, he addressed the girl, "That was well done young lady, and you're not a freak at all. You seem to be a powerful witch. Here," he pressed a book in Hermione's free hand, "read this and you'll get to know everything about it."

"Thank you sir!" Hermione blurted out in absolute delight. She loved books more than anything else, however, her aunt and uncle refused to buy as much as a new book for her.

"Throw it away. It's dirty," her aunt demanded.

However, Hermione refused vehemently, and when her cousin tried to take the book from her, Hermione became so upset that Melody was flung backwards and ended up on the ground by a bout of accidental magic.

Merely glaring at the young witch, her aunt helped her daughter up from the ground and ushered the girls home, where she sent Hermione into her room and did not even call her out for dinner that night.

However, Hermione did not mind. She had a book to read, and she spent every awake minute reading her new treasure. Even when her aunt decided to not take her anywhere else during the rest of the summer holidays and proceeded to lock her into her room whenever she went out with Melody, Hermione could not care less. During the following weeks, she busied herself reading her book over and over. _'Magic really exists,'_ she thought in amazement. _'And the old man was right. I'm a witch.'_ Never before had she felt so happy - at least not since her parents had passed away.

Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. She toyed with it for a whole day, while she had to clean the house for her relatives, but in the evening, she decided to put the plan into action.

She opened her book at one of the last pages, where it stated that Severus Snape had become the Potions professor, Potions Master and head of Slytherin and listed the four houses and their current heads.

_'I want to be with someone at Hogwarts, who will be able to accept me and like me as I am,'_ she thought, trying to push as much magic into the wish as she could. Only too late did she realise that it had been too much magic, when the world around her faded into non existence and she slowly lost consciousness.

HP

Minerva McGonagall was just having tea in her private quarters together with her colleague, mentor and husband for more than fifty years Albus Dumbledore, when all of a sudden, a strange sound made her look up in confusion.

The sight that met her eyes was everything but usual. A small girl had apparently apparated right into her living room and was now lying on the floor, seemingly unconscious.

Casting a questioning glance at her husband, Minerva jumped up from her sofa and knelt on the floor beside the girl in a for her age amazing speed.

_'Thank Merlin the girl is alive,'_ she thought in relief, _'but who is she? She seems too young to be one of the new first-years. Apart from that, why would she arrive four weeks too early, and how could she apparate straight into Hogwarts?'_

Minerva looked up in relief, when her husband pointed his hand at the small witch and enervated her. She observed how chocolate brown eyes slowly opened and eyed her in apparent confusion.

"Professor McGonagall?" the girl with bushy brown hair suddenly asked and sat up in obvious excitement.

"That I am," she replied, gently, "but who are you and how did you manage to come here?"

Casting an enquiring look at the old wizard in silent question, to which the headmaster did not reply, the girl introduced herself. "I'm Hermione Granger, I'm eight, and I've read my book _'Hogwarts: A History'_ and wished myself to come here and live with someone who might like me and accept me although I'm a witch."

"Hello Hermione," Albus finally spoke up in his gentle, grandfatherly voice. "Welcome to Hogwarts. I am Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster. You did that very well to come to the magical world, and you must be extremely powerful, as usually no one is able to apparate within Hogwarts..."

"Yes I read that," Hermione interrupted him seemingly excited. "Maybe it wasn't Apparition because I just wished me here?"

"So you're capable of wish magic," Albus replied, "which is a very rare but useful ability. Now as much as we appreciate that you came to meet us, I'm sure that your parents will be worried about you, won't they?"

"No," Hermione stated in a firm voice, before she explained about her parents' death and the maltreatment by her relatives. "Is there any way that I could stay here?" she finally finished her tirade, casting Minerva and her husband a pleading look.

HP

_'Please give in,'_ Hermione thought feverishly, giving the two elder people a puppy-dog look.

"First of all, I suggest that I go and speak with your guardians," the old wizard spoke up, thoughtfully. "If they agree, we'll see what we can do for you." Turning to Professor McGongall, he added, "I'll check the book and ask Fawkes to take me to Ms. Granger's guardians. I'll be back as soon as possible."

"All right Albus, be careful," McGonagall agreed, before she smiled at the girl and invited her to sit on the sofa together with her.

Hermione slowly stood from the ground and suddenly felt very dizzy, only barely noticing that the old wizard stepped into the fireplace. She gratefully accepted that the professor gently steadied her and led her to the sofa.

"Ms. Granger, are you feeling all right?" she enquired in a soft voice, giving her a sharp look.

"I'm just a bit dizzy and my head hurts," Hermione replied, quietly. "I'll be all right. It sometimes happens when I put a lot of magic into my wish."

"I'm going to call Madam Pomfrey, our healer," the professor decided. "She'll be able to make you feel better in a blink."

"I'm sorry to be such a nuisance," Hermione replied, forcing a small smile onto her face.

"Nonsense," the friendly old witch commented and, to Hermione's surprise, the professor leaned into the fireplace and spoke with someone.

_'That must be magic,'_ she thought in amazement. _'I just love magic.'_

HP

An instant later, a witch of about the same age as the professor stepped out of the fireplace, causing Hermione to stare at her, wide-eyed.

"Hello sweetie," the witch who was wearing a similar kind of one-piece like McGonagall but completely white, greeted her. "Is it your first time to see the Floo network?"

"Yes," Hermione replied in amazement. "I didn't know that one could travel through fireplaces. Oh wait a moment," she interrupted herself. "That is the Floo network? I've read about it in _'Hogwarts: A History'_, but I didn't know exactly what it meant. Now that's interesting," she added, more to herself than to the adults.

"Poppy, I'd like to ask you to check on Ms. Granger. She used quite an amount of magic to apparate herself here, and she seems to be dizzy and have a headache," McGonagall threw in, causing her colleague to turn into healer's mode immediately.

Slightly anxiously, Hermione observed how the healer waved her wand over her multiple times, muttering to herself as she finally pointed her wand at her head.

"You have depleted your magic to a great extent," the healer finally spoke up, "which is the reason for your headache and the temperature you're running. Get some rest and don't do any magic for at least a week," she added in a stern voice, before she pulled two small phials out of her robe pocket and made Hermione drink the content. "A headache potion and a fever reducer," she explained on the girl's questioning look. "I'll check on you again in the morning."

Hermione noticed in surprise that she felt much better as soon as she had finished the potions. She profusely thanked the healer, who merely smiled and stepped back into the fireplace, just an instant before the old wizard returned.

HP

Dumbledore placed a parchment on the table in front of the two witches and smiled. "The Grangers have willingly given up the guardianship over their niece, when I offered to find an adequate guardian for her in the magical world."

"Does that mean that I don't have to return to them anymore?" Hermione queried in absolute delight.

"Yes dear," McGonagall confirmed, smiling. "Tomorrow morning, we'll introduce you to our colleagues and discuss who would be the best guardian for you."

"I'd like to just stay with you," Hermione replied in a barely audible voice.

"I don't mind having you stay with us," McGonagall replied, having heard the mumbled words. "What do you think, Albus?"

The headmaster thoughtfully stroke his beard. "Don't you think that we're a bit too old to raise a child?" he then queried. "Hmm?"

Before Hermione could protest, McGonagall came to her help and pointed out that she was not a small child anymore but would become a Hogwarts student in three years' time.

"Until then, Hermione can visit the primary school at Hogsmeade, or we could hire a tutor for her," the Scottish lioness suggested. Seeing that Hermione's expression changed to a slightly anxious look, she said in a soothing voice, "The primary school at Hogsmeade is said to be very good, and I know the headmistress well. She has been a student here until a few years ago."

"Is it a magical school?" Hermione asked in excitement, smiling happily when McGonagall replied positively. _'No one can call me a freak then,'_ she thought in relief.

"Very well," Dumbledore, who had so far been quietly listening to the witches' conversation, spoke up, pensively. "The primary school is no problem of course, however, concerning the guardianship we should speak with our colleagues in the morning. For tonight, I suggest that Ms. Granger stays in your guest room, Minerva. I'll see you both in the morning." With that, he rose from the chair that he had occupied and stepped through a connecting door, which Hermione had not even noticed before, into his own quarters.

_'Oh no, I hope that he'll allow Professor McGonagall to become my guardian,'_ Hermione thought, as she slowly followed the older witch into her guest room.

"Good night Hermione," McGonagall said kindly, before she waved her wand and transfigured the girl's outfit into light summer pyjamas with small blue cats moving around on the light pink ground. From time to time, one or the other cat let out a small meaow.

"Amazing," Hermione blurted out in absolute admiration. "Will we learn to do these things at Hogwarts?"

"Yes dear, good night," McGonagall replied, smiling as she tucked the girl in.

HP

Seeing that Hermione already drifted off to sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, Minerva slowly returned to her living room. _'It would be nice if I could become her guardian,'_ she thought, when a sudden idea crossed her mind. _'She'll be in the same year as Harry. Too bad that I can't take her with me when I go to watch him again on Saturday. Oh well, I wouldn't be able to introduce them to each other anyway,'_ she mused, unaware that Hermione was going to take matters into her own hands.

_tbc (?)... _

_...only if you are interested in this story and feed my muse with reviews... Otherwise I will only post it for my facebook friends. A huge thanks to my facebook friends for their continuous support! _


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